Governor Ivey announced the acquisition of the Folly Beach Express Bridge on Thursday, finalizing the $60 million purchase from American Road LLC. Toll collection will cease at noon on Friday, the day before Memorial Day.

Ivey, along with Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon and representatives from the Baldwin County Bridge Company, celebrated the agreement, marking the start of improvements for beachgoers and Baldwin County residents.

“Alabama's Gulf Coast continues to experience record growth and success, and I am proud to be making needed infrastructure improvements in the region that will help ease traffic congestion for Alabamians and visitors to our coast,” said Governor Ivey.

“I'd like to thank Mayor Kennon, the Baldwin County Bridge Company, the Alabama Department of Transportation and everyone involved in this agreement that will lead to great progress for our coastal region.”

According to the Governor's Office, the sale is scheduled to close in May, with toll collection ending at noon on the closing date of the sale. The closing date for the sale will be announced as soon as it is scheduled. Construction of the Intracoastal Waterway bridge by ALDOT will continue and is expected to be completed in the spring or early summer of 2026. Once completed, the Beach Express bridge will be modified to carry northbound traffic, and the new ALDOT bridge will carry southbound traffic. This will create a “one-way pair,” a parallel pair of bridges to more efficiently move traffic to Alabama's beaches.

Current toll account holders will be able to add funds to their existing accounts up until a few days before the closure. Account balance refunds will begin in June. More information on account refunds can be found below. home page.

Grayson Everett is the state and politics editor for Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on Twitter. Grayson